Almost a birdieIsland par-3 green, surrounded on three sides by water and only a narrow walkway of earth, into the wind about 110 yards. I hit an 8-iron right straight at the flag, and onto the green about 30 feet from the hole.I can putt pretty well, so I’m always confident. I lined up my stance and gave it a firm poke. It curved a little left, as I’d expected, but not…quite…enough. It hit the edge of the hole and banked left around the rim, ending up about a foot away. Just another 1/4 inch left, or a little slower, and it’d have gone in.That would have been the first birdie on a par-3 for our foursome this year, if it had sunk.Talking about wind, on the prairies wind is just another hazard an architect has to plan for when designing a course. Last night was sunny and warm, and the breeze was kicking the flags around as if it was shaking dust out of a rug.I use an old brass-bladed putter. It’s able to hit either right or left-handed, and when I’m snug against a tree trunk or other impediment (often) I can sometimes use that to escape. After watching Ken Venturi give a sand tip once, I even used it to free myself from a greenside sand trap.I point my left elbow at the hole, then do a little forward press, draw the blade back and release. The results are usually pretty good. It’s about the only part of my game that’s consistently above average. I think I’ll keep it.